Microstructurally engineered perovskite gas sensor

Abstract

A gas sensing device is provided. The gas sensing device includes a substrate, a sensing film deposited on the substrate, and a plurality of electrodes deposited on the sensing film. The sensing film comprising ReNiO3, wherein Re is a rare-earth cation wherein. At least one of the electrodes including platinum, palladium, or a combination thereof. The electrodes are spaced apart from each other for measurement of electrical resistance.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A gas sensor device comprising:
 a substrate, a sensing film deposited on the substrate, and a plurality of electrodes deposited on the sensing film, the sensing film comprising ReNiO3, the electrodes spaced apart from each other for measurement of electrical resistance, wherein Re is a rare-earth cation wherein at least one of the electrodes comprise, platinum, palladium, or a combination thereof 
 wherein the electrodes are positioned on the sensing film on a first side of the gas sensor device, wherein the substrate is etched to define an exposed surface of the sensing film on the second side of the gas sensor device, wherein the gas sensor device further comprises a porous catalytic metal layer deposited on the exposed surface of the sensing film on the second side of the gas sensor device. 
 
     
     
       2. The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein ReNiO3 is NdNiO3. 
     
     
       3. The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein ReNiO3 is SmNiO3. 
     
     
       4. The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein ReNiO3 is (SmxNd1-x) NiO3 or a combination of different rare-earth cations based oxide alloys. 
     
     
       5. The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises polyethylene terephthalate or lanthanum aluminum oxide. 
     
     
       6. The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein the electrodes comprise a first electrode and a second electrode, the material of the first electrode different from the second electrode. 
     
     
       7. The sensor device of  claim 6 , wherein the material of the first electrode comprises platinum, palladium, or a combination thereof and the material of the second electrode comprises an inert metal. 
     
     
       8. The sensor device of  claim 7 , wherein the inert metal is gold. 
     
     
       9. The sensor of device  7 , wherein a first electrode of the electrodes is porous, wherein the first electrode has a pore size between 2 nanometer and 100 nanometers. 
     
     
       10. The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate has a thickness between 10 and 10000 micrometers. 
     
     
       11. The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein the sensing film has a thickness between 10 nanometers and 1000 nanometers. 
     
     
       12. The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein the electrode has a thickness between 0.1 micrometer and 1 micrometer. 
     
     
       13. The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein the electrodes are spaced apart by a distance measuring 50 micrometers to 10000 micrometers. 
     
     
       14. The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor film is annealed. 
     
     
       15. The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor film is porous, the sensor film having pore size between 5 and 1000 nanometers. 
     
     
       16. The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor film is dense, the sensor film having a pore size less than 5 nanometers. 
     
     
       17. The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein the catalytic metal comprises platinum, palladium, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
       18. A method, comprising:
 obtaining a substrate material; 
 depositing a sensing film on the substrate material with physical vapor deposition, the sensing film comprising ReNiO3, wherein Re is a rare-earth cation; and 
 depositing a plurality of electrodes on the sensing film; 
 annealing the sensor film on the substrate material; 
 etching the substrate material to expose a region of the sensing film; and 
 depositing a catalytic metal on the exposed region of the sensing film.